The Artist

Frannie Shepherd-Bates has worked with hundreds of incarcerated people, theatre artists, and students of theatre at two correctional facilities, three youth treatment centers, and more than a dozen professional theatres and educational theatre programs. Her work explores who we are, who we have been, and who we may become.

“This is the sort of production that makes me confident that you'll thank me for recommending that you cancel whatever other plans you might have in order to catch one of the remaining performances.”

Shakespeare in Prison

Frannie is the founder and director of Shakespeare in Prison, Detroit Public Theatre’s signature community program. Shakespeare in Prison empowers incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to reconnect with their humanity and that of others; to reflect on their past, present, and future; and to gain the confidence, self-esteem, and crucial skills they need to heal and positively impact their communities.